Mitt for sailors

ABSTRACT

A PREFABRICATED ASSEMBLAGE FOR FACILITATING INSTALLATION THUMB AND FINGER ENCLOSING PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID PORTIONS HAVING A PRINCIPAL MEMBER OF RELATIVELY NONEXTENSIBLE MATERIAL, AND AN ELASTIC INSERT, WHEREBY A SINGLE SIZE OF MITT MAY BE EMPLOYED TO ACCOMMODATE A LARGE NUMER OF WEARERS. ELONGATED FOAM RUBBER INSERTS ARE SEWN INTO LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED POCKETS IN THE NON-EXTENSIBLE PORTION OF THE MITT TO PREVENT LONGITUDINAL SHRINKING, PARTICULARLY WHEN WET. TRANSVERSELY SEWN REINFORCEMENTS PREVENT LATERAL STRETCHING OF THE PALM OF THE MITT, AND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BROKEN SURFACES FOR SUPERIOR GRIPPING QUALITIES.

D. GOLD MITT FOR SAILORS June 8, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1969 D. GOLD MITT FOR SAILORS June 8, 1971 Filed NOV. 28,` 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Oce 3,582,992 Patented June 8, 1971 3,582,992 MITT FOR SAILORS Daniel Gold, 6740 De Gaspe Ave., Montreal 327, Quebec, Canada Filed Nov. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 880,709 Int. Cl. A61f 9/00; A41d 19/00, 13/10 U.S. Cl. 2-16 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to the field of protective work mitts, and more particularly to an improved sailors mitt facilitating the handling of ropes and cables without injury, and with a superior grip.

It is among the principal objects of the present invention to provide an improved mitt construction of the class described, having elastic material in the back of the hand and the thumb, whereby a single sized article may accommodate a full range of sizes of hands.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a sailors mitt of the class described having an open end, to allow complete freedom of fingertip movement, for the manipulation of sailboat fittings and knots, While yet affording proper protection for the palm of the hand when handling ropes and lines.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of an improved sailors mitt construction having longitudinally disposed rubber inserts in the palm and thumb for preventing shrinkage occurring from continued use and exposure to water.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of resilient inserts, suitably located, to provide a cushioning effect, as well as to break up the normally smooth surface of the palm of the device for enhanced gripping qualities.

Yet a further object of the invention lies in the provision of a device of the class described having laterally aligned reenforcement strips for providing extra strength to the device, as well as additional broken surfaces for improved gripping qualities, and to prevent the palm of the device from laterally stretching, with accompanying loss of fit.

Yet another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improved sailors mitt, possessed of the above advantages, in which the cost of fabrication may be of a reasonably low order, thereby permitting consequent wide sale, distribution and use.

A feature of the disclosed embodiment lies in the fact that the relatively nonresilient parts thereof may be formed either from leather, vinyl fabric, or nylon or cotton cloth.

These objects and feature, as well as other incidental ends and advantages, will more fully appear in the progress of the following disclosure, and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, to which reference will be made in the specification, similar reference characters have been employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. l is a fragmentary View in perspective showing an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a second fragmentary View in perspective thereof showing the opposite side of the mate of the mitt seen in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the palm side of the mitt shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation showing the side opposite that seen in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view as seen from the upper portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan View as seen from the lower portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view as seen from the plane 7--7 in FIG. 3.

In accordance with the embodiment of the invention, the mitts, generally indicated by r-eference character `10, each comprise a palm enclosing element 11 and a thumb enclosing element 12.

The palm enclosing element 11 is preferably made of relatively soft leather, although synthetic resinous materials such as vinyl and nylon may also be used. It includes a main body lamina 14, bounded by inner and outer folded edge 15 and 16, respectively, as well as side edges 17 and l18, an inner surface 19 and an outer surface 20.

Secured to the outer surface is a first longitudinal strip 21 extending between the edges 15 and 16, an having side edges 22 and 2,3 interconnected by stitch means thereto. The upper end 24 and lower end 25 thereof is also similarly interconnected, thereby forming an elongated pocket with the outer surface 20. A second longitudinal strip 26 includes an upper end 27 and a lower end 28, and a third longitudinal strip 29 includes an upper end 30 and a lower end 31. Disposed within the pockets formed by these strips are foam rubber inserts 32 (see FIG. 3) which, although resiliently compressible in a direction normal to their principal axes, and readily bendable as the mitt is iiexed, are substantially incompressible along their principal axes. Thus, when the mitt becomes wet, as will inevitably occur during use, any shrinking action imparted to the material of the main body lamina will be counteracted along such axes, thereby assuring that the palm of the user will always be adequately protected.

Overlying the strips 21, 26 and 29 are a pair of laterally extending parallel bands 34, 35 and 36. These bands each include first and second ends 38- and 39, respectively, which extend to the side edges 17 and 18, respectively. The bands serve the purpose of reenforcing and protecting the strips disposed therebeneath, and further break up the surface of the palm of the mitt so as to enhance the gripping action of the mitt upon ropes and lines engaged by the wearer, and those surfaces of the glove which are not directly beneath the fingers, when the hand is clasped around such rope or line. Unlike the strips 211, 26-and 29, the side edges 41 of the lateral bands are in relatively spaced relation to enhance this effect.

interconnecting the side edges 17 and 18` is a knitted resilient member 42 bounded by side edges 43, an upper edge 44 and a lower edge 45. The presence of this member which is several inches in width, allows a single size of mitt to accommodate a large number of hand sizes, and yet assure that the palm portion of the users hand is covered by the main body lamina. 14. A portion of one side edge 42 is interconnected with the thumb enclosing element 12.

The thumb enclosing element 12 is also interconnected with the main body lamina 14, specifically to that portion disposed beneath the third strip 29, so that the outer surface thereof, most likely to be deleteriously aiected by shrinkage is also reenforced against this action. It also includes first and second relatively non-extensible members 49 and 50 which are interconnected by a resilient insert 51 extending the entire length of the thumb enclosing element, and terminating in the outer edge 16. This construction allows adequate fullness at the first joints at the base of the ngers of the wearer, and simultaneously permits accommodation for thumbs of Varying sizes. The adjustment is not limited to the difference in effective thickness of the thumb, but allows adjustment in the crotch existing between the thumb and Ltirst finger as well.

I wish it to be understood that I do not consider the invention limited to the precise details of structure shown and set forth in the specification, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

I claim:

'1. A hand protecting mitt comprising: a rst open ended palm enclosing element, and a second open ended thumb enclosing element; said first element including a relatively non-extensible main body lamina having first and second end edges, first and second side edges, and a laterally expandable resilient member interconnecting said side edges; at least one longitudinally extending strip of material interconnected along the side edges thereof to an outer surface of said main body lamina to dene an elongated packet therewith extending between said tirst and second end edges, and a strip of ilexible material positioned Within said pocket, said last-mentioned strip being substantially non-compressible along an axis parallel to the axis of said strip to retard shrinkage of said main body lamina between said rst and second end edges.

2. Structure in accordance with claim 1, further characterized in the provision of a plurality of longitudinally extending strips of material secured to said main body lamina in parallel relation, and a plurality of strips of flexible material disposed within the pockets formed thereby.

3. Structure in accordance with claim 2, further characterized in the provision of a plurality of laterally extending bands overlying said strips and secured to said main body lamina.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,524 2/1881 Haight et al 2l58 1,337,879 4/1920I Bean 2--158 1,716,221 6/1929 Fernie 2-16X 1,403,817 l/l922 Pinson 2-158X 1,627,382 5/ 1927 Golomb 2-16X JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 2-*16lg 294-25 

